Overview
- A homemade explosive detonated in a café beside the Palace of Justice in the Hiyaz neighborhood of central Damascus on Thursday, causing immediate casualties and damage.
- Official counts from state agencies varied during first reports but a later Interior Ministry update put the toll at nine dead and about 20 wounded.
- Security forces set up a wide perimeter, blocked roads and allowed ambulances and Civil Defense teams to evacuate and treat the injured.
- No group has claimed responsibility and authorities say investigations are ongoing while the governor vowed those responsible would be punished; the attack took place the same day the foreign minister was visiting Lebanon but no link has been established.
- The café’s location near courts makes the blast significant for the judicial community and could lead to tighter security around legal institutions and disruption to court activity in Damascus.